Snap fastener secured installation



ug- 2E, w3@ R. F. WALTERS SNAP FASTENER SECURED INSTALLATION Filed Oct. 25, 1930 .e linen. .E

Patented Aug. 21, 1934 PAT-Enforce SNAP FASTENER SECURED INSTALLATION` vrJ 'Ro-llo F. Walters', Detroit, IMich.,` assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge,

ji i `Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts v ij Applieatfmn goetoberzs, 1930, serial No. 400,608`

s claims. (c1. i5- 138) My inventionaims toprovide improvements in snap fastener secured` trimming installations and the-method of Vsecuring the upholstery in place. J V

In the drawing which illustrates a' embodiment of myA inventiorn- Figure 1v is anelevational viewof a corner portion of a door showing a'- portion of an upholstery panel` held Vin 4place vby snap fastener means in a novel manner;` Y

Fig. 2 is a viewof the innerface ofthat portion ofthe upholstered panel shown-in Figure 1; 'f

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 4'of Fig. 1 showing the manner of attachment of the studs to the upholstered panel;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a corner of the upholstered panel showing one method of securing the fasteners to the panel;

Fig. 5 is a view of a corner of the inside of a panel showing the use of a tape of flexible material to hold the fasteners in position; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Heretofore the upholstery of a vehicle body or the like has been attached by snap fasteners and in most instances the studs have been attached to the upholstered part and provided with yieldable heads for engagement in apertures provided iin the framework of the vehicle body. In all such installations known to me the studs have been secured to the foundation or backing of the upholstery by providing holes therein irrespective of the method or manner of attachment.

In my present invention it is my intention to provide an upholstery installation having a backing which is imperforate so far as the fasteners are concerned. This construction is possible because I secure the fastener studs in as- ;sembled relation to the backing or foundation by means of the use of the covering material or other means attached to the backing at the inner face thereof adjacent to the edge thereof, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6.

4 The broad feature of my invention is, therefore, the idea of using the iiexible means of the upholstery installation as the means of holding the studs in assembled relation to the installation Without regard to the method of attach- 1 ment.

4 The particular embodiment of my invention selected for illustration by the drawing in Figs. l through 4, comprises the usual frame structure 1 having apertures 2 (Fig. 3) to provide the sockets of the snap fastening means, and a panel preferred having a backing 3 of cardboard or the like to which is applied a iexible covering 4 of cloth, leather or the like and secured to the frame structure 1 by means of the studs 5.

The-upholstered part is constructed in the usual manner by wrapping the edges of the covering 4 over the edges of the backing 3 and securing them -in any suitable manner. The studs 5 may be of any suitable construction andthe one selected for illustration is merely an example and' is shown because lit hasproved satisfactory and has a thin base 6 located between the inner face of the backing 3 and the turned over edge of the covering 4, as shown in Fig. 3, with a shank 7 extending through an aperture 8 in the material 4, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

One method of constructing and assembling the parts of the upholstery part shown in Figs. 1 through 4 is as followsz--First the backing 3 is prepared by suitably shaping it for application to a given frame structure. Then the covering 4 is cut to cover one side and lap over on to the back face of the backing. The edges of the covering material 3 are slit at predetermined spaced intervals to provide flaps 9 which will be located at the inner face of the backing 3, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. Thereafter the covering 4 is applied to the backing 3, and the overlapping edges, with the exception of the flaps 9, are pasted or otherwise secured to hold the covering in fixed relation to the backing 3. The aps 9 are provided with apertures 8 of any desired shape and size depending upon the type of stud shank to be passed therethrough. Then the studs are attached from the inner sides of the iiaps 9 (Fig. 4) and the aps may be pasted or otherwise secured against the backing 4 (Fig. 2) thereby completing the upholstered installation which is thereafter attached to the frame 1 by pressing the fasteners into engagement with the apertures 2 in the frame structure. When the installation is complete, the overlapped edges of the covering 4 are gripped tightly between the base 6 of the studs and the frame structure (Fig. 3) thereby holding the upholstered part firmly in position.

If a less expensive upholstery installation is desired, the fasteners may be attached by means of a tape of exible material 10 (Figs. 5 and 6) Wrapped over the edge of the backing 3 and initially sewed, or otherwise secured, in place so that the fasteners may be applied at the point of assembly of the upholstery part to the frame. In this type of installation the cardboard backing is not completely covered but may be embossed or painted, or otherwise treated, to imitate a fabric or leather. In this case ap portions may be used or, as illustrated, each side may be left loose until the fasteners are applied.

The apertures 8 in the iiexible material are of such size that the studs may shift laterally in any direction suiciently to permit alignment with the apertures 2 provided in the frame structure 1.

The installations which I have shown and described are simple, durable and inexpensive, -both from a construction and assembly standpoint. The fasteners may be applied at the time of assembly of the backing and the covering, or other fastener securing means, or at the time that the upholstery part is to be attached to the frame structure.

While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereto, because the scope of my invention is best defined by the following claims'.

1. A trimming installation comprising, in combination, a relatively stiff backing, a yieldable material presented at the inner side of the backing and having an aperture therethrough, a fastening member having a base located between the adjacent faces of said backing and said yieldable material and having a shank extending from said base through the aperture in said yieldable material for fastening engagement with a cooperating means provided on a frame part to which the trimming is to be applied, part of said flexible material being permanently secured to the backing and another part providing a hinged portion and having the aperture through which the shank of the fastening member passes, thereby permitting attachment and removal of the fastener member after the yieldable material has been attached to the backing.

2. A trimming installation comprising, in combination, a panel of relatively stiif material, a fastening member havinga base seatedagainst the inner face of said panel and a flexible covering applied to one face of the panel and having a portion extending over the inner face of the panel and providing the sole means for holding the fastener in laterally shiftable position against the inner face of the panel.

3..'I'he method of making a trim panel and applying a `studfa'stener thereto for attaching the panel to a supporting structure which comprises iirst applying an apertured exible fasten- .er-holdingmeans to the inner face and over an vimperforate portion of the panel, moving at least a portion of the fastener-holding means adjacent to an aperture to a position where that side adapted to lie against the panel is accessible without interference from the panel, thereafter` attaching a fastener by inserting a shank of the fastener through the aperture in the` fastener-` holding means from that side adapted to lie adjacent to the inner face of the panel and then returning the apertured portion and fastened to a position against the panel so that a base of the stud fastenerwill assume a position between the panel and the apertured fastener-holding means.

ROLLO F. WALTERS. 

